Elyon's POV

He's not himself.

I've been watching Mateo for the past two days and I could tell that he wasn't himself. It was like he has retreated back in to his shell of solitude. He barely talked to anyone and if he wasn't in class, he was locked up in the music room and he needed not to tell anyone of us that he wanted to be left alone.

I thought that Skye would know what was going on but whenever I asked her about Mateo's sudden change in mood, she would just shrug, give a weird face and bury her face in a book. There was a huge strain between both of them and it seemed like I'm the only one noticing all these little details.

Am I the only observant one in this group?

Exam is starting soon after all. Everyone is trying to study and pass their exams. Especially for the SS2 students since this particular exam is also a determinant for the prefect positions.

We were having our Government revision class. My eyes involuntarily moved to look beside me and it fell on Mateo. He had his head resting on the table and his eyes were downcast. His pen kept doodling nonsense on his note, and it was obvious his mind wasn't in class.

"Mateo, keep your head off the table when you are in my class." Mr Kohol's voice pierced through my ear and my head jerked up.

Seems like I'm not the only one who noticed.

I looked at Mateo again and saw that he didn't do what Mr Kohol had asked but I was pretty sure he heard.

"Mateo..." I called his attention softly and he looked at me through his glasses. His eyes held no emotions, the usual vibrancy was far gone, farther than they had ever gone.

And it was terrifying.

"Mateo, are you deaf?!" Mr Kohol's annoyed voice rang through the class and this time Mateo rose his head up.

"No sir, I'm not deaf. I heard you the first time." Mateo replied, with nonchalance and sarcasm laced in his voice. Murmurs rang through the class. I looked at Mateo in disbelief.

Mateo has never been rude to a teacher.

"Seems like you have started growing wings. I'm very sure it because you will soon become prefects. If you are not ready for this revision class then you can leave." Mr Kohol pointed to the door.

"With all pleasure." Mateo picked his bag and books and walked out of the class, much to everyone's surprise. Much to my surprise.

What's up with Mateo?

On instincts, my hand shot up to ask for permission.

"Yes Elyon." Mr Kohol replied, obvious frustration laced in his voice.

"I need to use the rest room." I sprang up from my seat and dashed out before he could even grant me the permission. I was on time to see Mateo turn by the corner to descend the staircase.

"Mateo!" I called him and he stopped short, looked back at me before turning around to resume his walk down the stairs.

"Go back to class." He said dismissively but I wasn't having it. I quickly walked down the stairs and caught up with him, holding unto his hand to stop him.

"What's the matter with you! You have been acting strange this days. You were just rude to a teacher, which might cost you a position has part of the prefects." I stated to him.

"Well, I don't give a flying fück." He jerked his hand away from my grasp and resumed his walk. I sighed in frustration wanting to speak but he turned around abruptly.

"Why do you care anyway?! I can bet a thousand dollars that you know exactly what's wrong with me!" He snapped suddenly. My frustration was replaced with confusion.

"I don't understand you. What are you talking about?" I asked him and he scoffed.

"Don't play dumb with me. You know what is going on with me. Skye is your best friend and she doesn't make a move without letting you know." He replied and that only perked my curiosity and confusion.

"Yes, Skye is my best friend but that doesn't mean she tells me everything. What has she got to do with this? What's going on?" I asked him. He watched me for a while.

"So you don't know that she said she was giving up?" His voice began to quiver and I frowned as my confusion deepened.

"Give up?" I asked him and he sighed.

"There is no use." He turned around to leave and I groaned out in total frustration.

There is no way he is leaving me hanging.

"Mateo, please tell me what's going on. I could help." I called out, my voice coming out as pleading. That seemed to do the trick as he stopped short and I saw his shoulder slump in dejection. He turned around to look at me, removing his glasses.

It was then I noticed his bloodshot eyes

"She's giving up on me." He muttered and my eyes widened in realization.

Shit.

*****

We were seated in an empty class, the air pregnant with silence. Mateo already told me everything that transpired between him and Skye earlier in the week and I heard the devastation laced in his voice when he spoke. I still couldn't believe my ears.

The Skye I know wouldn't just give up like that. She has carried this feeling from a pretty long time and she is giving up now. There is definitely something missing.

"Are you telling me everything she told you?" I asked him, speaking up for the first time in minutes. Mateo looked up from where he has his head leaned against the locker.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice raspy and hoarse.

"She can't just tell you that she's shutting her feelings for you off. She must have given you a reason." I stated and he sighed, shrugging.

"I didn't tell you her reason because I understand her reason, it's valid but I can't just wrap my head around accepting it." He replied softly.

"Tell me first." I said and he looked at me.

"Because of her fight with Jamal. A lot of things happened. My misunderstanding about the entire thing caused all these. If only I had just calmed down to listen. I'm such a fool." He was blaming himself but I shook my head.

"Stop blaming yourself, Mateo. You have no control over your feelings." I told him and he nodded slowly.

"You are right. I have no control over my feelings but I should have control over the way I handle things. I should have learnt from my past mistakes but I keep making the same mistakes over and over again." He lamented and I didn't know what to say to comfort him,

To make him feel better.

"Now, I've succeeded in chasing away the one person that actually cared about me on a very special level. All because I was blinded by my selfishness, pettiness, jealousy, bad habits...to see what was right in front of me." He chocked back and I looked at him. I could see the tears well up in his eyes but they were not falling.

He was doing a good job holding them back in.

And again, I had absolutely no idea what to say to make him feel better.

"They are right..." He whispered and I looked at him clearly, confused as to who he was referring to.

"They? Who are you talking about and what did they say?" I asked, my interest and curiosity perked. I watched him closely as he looked past me to the empty space behind me. It seemed like he was staring at me but I knew he wasn't.

"They said I destroy everything I touch. That I'm evil." He kept muttering, more to himself than to me and I became incredibly worried. I shifted my seat closer to him but he didn't acknowledge me. He only kept staring ahead.

"Mateo, hey. Look at me." I touched his hand and they were cold...

...too cold for that matter.

"Everyone will start to hate me, little by little. I'll keep driving them away and they'll leave me. You'll all leave me, till I'm all alone." He continued to mutter like I wasn't there and I began to panic. I quickly grasped unto his hands and shook him, trying to get his attention to me.

"Hey! Mateo! Stop saying this things. They are all lies. All of them. Look at me, please." I shook him, but he wasn't snapping away from whatever daze he was in.

"Everyone would hate me. Everyone would leave me...just like I made my own mother hate and leave me." He whispered and I gasped in horror.

"Mateo, who is telling you all these?" I asked him again frantically, needing him to snap out of it.

And he did. This time he looked at me. But his eyes were ice cold, void of life itself. It nearly knocked me off my feet. I shivered in fear at the intensity of his cold gaze on me and I suddenly craved a pullover hoodie,

...in the middle of March.

"The Echoes in my head." He simply said, his reply knocking the breath right out of me.

With that said, He stood up from the chair like a Zombie and walked right out of the class room, leaving me to my jumbled mind and erratic heartbeat. It was then I realized.

I knew nothing about Mateo Seyifunmi Craig.

****

"His eyes were scary. I nearly peed on myself." I told Jamal bluntly and he bursted into a fit of chuckles. I glared at him. "Babe, I'm serious!" I chided him and he covered his chuckles up with mock coughs.

"Sorry, that was just a very funny expression. I had to laugh." He defended, his hand working their magic on my tensed foot.

I had come straight to the Visual Art studio from the classroom after Mateo left, knowing fully well that I'd see Jamal here as he hardly stays in class. When I came in, I didn't meet him but I saw Soma and Vanessa making out. It wouldn't be the first time they would take advantage of their friend having the keys and use this place as one of their numerous make out spots.

This children don't have a off switch.

Jamal came in few moments later and the couple had to excuse us. Jamal and I got talking about Mateo and In between, I had complained about a tension in my feet and Jamal being a sweet darling, decided to help me massage it.

"Mateo needs help. He wasn't himself at all." I told him again and Jamal's serious face came back on.

"What else did he tell you?" He asked, looking at me intently.

"He said something about voices and echoes in his head, telling him stuffs. It was scary as hell, I really don't want to think about it." I told him and he hummed in response, his fingers working their magic on my foot. I sighed and leaned my head back.

"Mateo has always been a fragile guy hiding under an hard guy demeanor. He went through a lot as a kid, but even I don't know half of the story. And we all know Mateo is not one to open up about his feelings." He replied in slight frustration has well. I sighed.

"He said something about his Mum. Do you know anything about that? Even at the slightest?" I asked. Jam cocked his head side ways and had a thoughtful look on his face.

"I don't really know his mum because the woman has barely been in his life. But I know for a fact that they are not even close and she doesn't seem to care about him. She's Espanic." Jamal stated and my mouth formed in a o shape as realization hit me.

I knew he was biracial.

"Ohhh." Was all I could say. "Were you aware of Skye's move? Did she tell you about it, because she didn't tell me." I added. Jamal shook his head.

"She told me after she had made that moved and Mateo went haywall  after that, I couldn't even speak to him. Though I trust Skye's judgement, I think this is pretty harsh." He replied and I nodded in agreement.

"She didn't tell any of us because she knew we would discourage her. I doubt she realizes the impact this has on Mateo because honestly, I'm scared. This is exam period. What if he fails!" I exclaim.

"Hey, calm down." Jamal took my hand in his and immediately I felt calm. I looked at him and he was watching me. "Mateo will be fine. He is Mateo. He will figure it out." Jamal assured me. I sighed.

"I sincerely hope you are right." I whispered and he smiled, bringing the back of my palm to his lips and planting a dainty kiss on it. I smiled at him.

Suddenly, we heard the stomping of feet outside the door indicating that students were running. Jamal and I exchanged a confused gaze but before we could even stand up to check what was happening, the door jerked open and Somadina rushed in, sweating profusely and fidgeting.

"Soma, what's up? Why the ruckus?" Jam asked him in one breath.

"Mateo..." He whizzed, pointing to a direction, out of breath. My heart began to beat erratically and I became terrified.

"What happened to Mateo?" I asked and he was still whizzing. "Answer now!" I snapped impatiently. He took off out of the studio and we didn't need any soothsayer to tell Jamal and I to follow him.

We took odd, running behind Somadina as he led us to our class block. We saw the crowd gathered in front of the male lavatory and worry pierced my heart. What attracted us was Skye's scream.

"Skye!" Jamal ran frantically towards the crowd and pushed through, clearing the way for Soma and I. I nearly hit Jamal's back as he stopped so abruptly.

"Jamal." I called but he was frozen. He just stared ahead in horror. I followed his gaze and I felt life being knocked out of me at the scene I saw before me.

Skye and Vanessa kneeling on the floor...

...beside an unconscious Mateo...

...in the pool of his own blood.

A/N

SURPRISE!!!

I'm very sure everyone is surprised I updated. I am even surprised too because I'm having an exam by 12pm today. Yes, it's a new day na. Almost 3:00am. But I promised some people that I'd drop an update before  my exam starts properly. So here you go.

This chapter was very deep to write. This book is far from done, trust me but I've decided how I am going to do it so that everything won't be too much for you to handle.

This is the point where we delve into Mateo's back story.

You woulda realized by now that Jamal isn't the only one with issues. Mateo has some really deep issues going on. The difference between Mateo and Jamal is that Jamal is one to speak up and not hide, no matter how much he tries but Mateo was putting up a "Hard guy" facade for as long as...you get sha.

I don't know when I would update again, definitely after my exams sha. It's because today's exam isn't so important that's why I'm here, if not.

Who is ready for some back story?

What do you think the issue is?

Do you think Mateo's Mum has a major role to play in the breaking of her son's spirit?

What do you think Mateo did to himself?

Let me know your answers in the comment. Don't forget to vote and comment. I'll see you when I see you.

CHAO!